Sund: United States ambassadors

How about the U.S.A. girls' gymnastic team at the Olympics? I was mesmerized by their performance. How much hard work and discipline went into that! Aren't we proud? They and the other U.S. Olympic teams are impressive ambassadors for our country.

Things are getting crazy around here. The weather is unbelievably hot and dry. So many plants and trees in my backyard are dying. A flock of white pelicans arrived at the lake this week at least six weeks earlier than normal and an all-white bunny has been seen in our backyard for about a month now. I wonder if someone has lost a pet rabbit or if this is an albino?

I see that Richard Muller, physics professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who once scoffed at the idea of climate change caused by man now sees the error of his thinking and agrees that climate change has arrived and man did have a hand in it. Too late. The tipping point has passed and now we have to deal with what has been done.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney traveled abroad to show off his diplomatic skills. I can't believe his gaffs. In London he commented he wasn't sure that London was ready for the Olympics or that security was sufficient. If I were a guest at someone's party, the last thing I would suggest to the host would be that I was uncertain everything was ready to entertain me or that I didn't feel exactly safe in my surroundings, even if I thought it. Such comments do not get high marks for diplomacy, in my opinion. As you might expect, the British public was not pleased. He was called "Mitt the Twit"

Next Mr. Romney went to Israel. There he commented that he sympathized with them having to deal with the Palestinians whose culture prevented them from being as successful as the Israelis. What! Israel has confiscated their lands and blocked off their roads so it is impossible for them to move about freely. Now the Palestinians who are traditionally farmers must find another way to make a living. I have Jewish friends who totally disagree with this action and I know there are Israelis who strongly object, but the Israelis in charge continue this immoral behavior. When Netanyahu came to Washington, our government requested that he stop confiscating Palestinian land and he thumbed his nose at us. The Jewish people who endured the horrors of the Holocaust should certainly be aware of the devastation that comes from being uprooted from your home and prevented from moving freely.

How dare Mitt Romney look down his nose at the Palestinians. Is it because he doesn't think there are enough voters in the United States of Palestinian origins to make a difference in the upcoming election? He seems to me to be both elitist and amoral. Certainly not a good ambassador.

A little history: In the 1800s Palestine's population was 86 percent Muslim, 10 percent Christian and 4 percent Jewish. In the late 1800s an extremist minority of the European Jewish population, known as Zionists, decided to create a Jewish homeland. They considered locations in the Americas and Africa, but settled on Palestine. At first there were no problems. The Palestinians sold land to the immigrants. Then many more came to escape Hitler and the Palestinians became alarmed that their country was being taken over. In 1947 the United Nations recommended giving away 55 percent of Palestine to form a Jewish state. Jews owned only 7 percent of the land at the time. There was war. Israelis conquered 78 percent of Palestine and renamed the area with Hebrew names. Five hundred towns were destroyed and 750,000 Palestinian refugees were left homeless. In 1967 Israel occupied the rest of Palestine, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Israel attacked the Navy ship, the USS Liberty, at that time, killing or injuring 200 American servicemen. This was found to be an act of war against the United States, but then President Lyndon Johnson did not want to "embarrass an ally."

I cannot fathom why the United States continues to provide millions in aid to Israel as long as they persist in driving people out of their homes and land simply because the people are not Jewish. I can think of better things to do with our tax dollars.

Our citizens and our dollars going to foreign lands should represent the values we hold dear. Our Olympians have done a great job. Mr. Romney, not so much.